Artificial limb.



J. R. B. NORFOLK.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-26, I9II.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

3 SHEETS*SHEET I.

I. R. B. NORFOLK.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.26, I91].

1,293,885. Patented Feb. 11,1919.

J. R. B. NORFOLK. ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPucA'TwN FILED NOV.26, 1911.

} Patsntefi E61). 11, 12 1? STATES rn'rnnr ornron.

JOSEPH R. IBQI N'ORFOLK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO NATURAL MOVEMENT ARM AND APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ARTIFICIAL LIMIB.

1,293,885. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Application filed November 26, 1917. Serial No. 203,881.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH It. B. Non- FOLK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Limbs, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to artificial limbs, and in the present adaptation thereof, to artificial arms and hands. Its principal and fundamental object is to provide an artificial member which nlay be of suitable Weight and shape, having simple and effective operative mechanism, and adapted to take the place of the amputated member of the wearer and provide for the wearer a conveniently attachable artificial structure having notable advantages in service. Specific objects arising from structural details and arrangement of parts are, to provide an upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand combination in which the movement of. the upper arm stump will simultaneously fiex the artificial elbow joint andturn the wrist joint in substantially natural movements, and by positively-acting and simple means; to provide in such a structure means for positively, maintaining the forearm and its connected parts in extended position, for instance in an upwardly and outwardly raised position, so long as the stump of the upper arm is maintained in such position; to provide in such a structure automatic locking means adapted to maintain the forearm in a given angular relation to the upper arm, as for carrying a coat upon the forearm, with provisions for releasing the forearm from such locked position by an easy and natural movement of the upper arm through the movement of the stump; to provide in such a structure, including a hand having flexible fingers and thumb, means for contracting the fingers and thumb, and also the forefinger and thumb independently, through the action of the shoulder opposite to the one carrying the artificial member,

and this bysimple, positively acting and comfortably. operated means; to provide an improved character of articulating joint for the phalanges; to provide improved means associated directly with the fingers for bending them at the joints; to provide means for automatically locking the fingers in one or more given position of contraction; to provide means whereby irregular objects, or objects larger at one end than at the other, may be grasped by the artificial hand with the fingers thereof substantially equally engaging the object; to provide a form of connection between the artificial arm and the wearers body which will permit the weight of the artificial member to be carried conveniently and comfortably by the shoulder and afford a considerable variety of movements approximating the natural movements of the'human arm; and to provide an artificial member not likely to get out of order, but which is susceptible of repair and replacement of parts with a marked degree of convenience considering the nature of devices of this kind. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. In these drawings Figure 1 is a front view of tlghe1 device as it would appear on the wearers Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the upper arm and shoulder device to which it is attached;

Fig. 3 is a face view of the hand, and a medial section of the wrist, forearm and part of the upper arm;

Fig.4 is a side view of the parts of Fig. 3, the forearm and wrist being in medial section;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 55 of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the wrist and hand with the upper part cut away toshow the operating mechanism, the fingers being in section on various planes in order to show the joint construction and the flexing links;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through the hand, as on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, the sectional views being in the directions of the arrows.

The general exterior construction and means for securing the arm to the body is shown in Fig. 1, the attaching and fingeroperating straps being shown in the. position they assume when on the body of'the wearer. V

In its general parts the limb comprises an upper arm 10, a forearm 11 pivotally ing a stump or arm portion comprising a part of his natural upper arm. The stump is thrust into the part 10, which is hollowed to fit the-stump, as is well understood in the art. The artificial arm is held in this position by means of a shoulder pad 16 secured by an adjustable strap 17 passing under the arm pit and by an adjustable strap 18 passing around the body and under the opposite arm. 1

In the connection between the artificial arm and the shoulder pad provision is made for moving the upper part of the arm 10 in two main directions, first, in a plane substantially parallelto the side of the'body, and second, in a plane substantially perpendioular to the sideof the body. For this purpose a plate or support 19 is pivotally mounted at each of its ends to brackets 20 secured to the shoulder pad 16. To this plate 19 is pivotally connected, as at 21,

a supporting bar 21 rigidly secured to the upper arm 10, as by screws or rivets. The upper arm 10 maytherefore move to the front'or back by its swinging on the pivot 21 and may move outward from the side through the rocking of the support 19 on its pivots. These movements and various combination movements are produced by moving the stump in the various desired directions, the part 10 of the artificial arm acting as a continuation of the stump and partaking of its movements. The combination movementsrmentioned are such as include some forward or backward motion with some outward motion, and the construction shown provides for substantially all of the movements possible to thestump of the upper arm. The upper arm may thus be swung about in any natural are or circle and may be raised-with a forward, rearward or directly outward movement so as to extend in all or substantially all of the natural directions.

The forearm 11 is pivotally connected to the upper arm 10 by a short bolt 22 located near the front of the arm so as to allow the forearm unimpeded movement in a forward direction. Rearward movement of the forearm relatively to the upper arm is prevented by the engagement of the rear edge 23 of the forearm with the rounded end of the upper arm thereat.

The forearm is 'automaticallymoved rela tively to the upper part of the arm by means of a link 24 pivotally connected at its upper end to the shoulder plate or main support 19, as at 25, andat its lower end to the forearm at a'point 26 spaced fromthe pivot 22 to provide leverage. The pivot 25 is arranged rearward of the point of connection 21 'between the upper arm 10 and the .plate or support 19, while theipivot 26 is r in front of the pivot'22, so that ifthe upper arm 10 be moved forward the forearm simultaneously moves forward and its free end is drawn upward, as shown .by dotted lines in Fig.2. The link 24 being a rigid piece in itself, preferably of steel, the movement of the forearm is always positive, and the forearm is maintained .positively in'the various positions it may assume through the movements of the upper arm, including positions in which. the arm is ward.

- A feature of advantage is in; the provision ofa lock or latch 27 pivotally mounted on the upper arm 10. as at 2,8. Anotch 29 at the free end portion of this latch is adapted to engage a projection 30011 a plate 31 mounted on the inner wall of the forearm. The latch is held in position to engage this projection by a compression spring 32adapted to bear against the upper end 27 of the latch. When it is desired. to engage the latch with the projection 30 theupper arm 10 is moved forw-ard until the forearm comes substantially into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the locking engagement takes 'placeand the arm structure may'then be moved into a large variety of podirected up-.

sitions, while still maintaining the locked relation of the upper arm and forearm, so

long as the upper arm is not moved forward so as further to raise the forearm. T "When it is desired to release the forearm from its locked position a simple forward'move'ment of the upper armbrings the projection 31 into the indented portion 33 of the latch and upon any further movement in either direction the latch engages the side instead ments of the human limb the wrist is formed to rotate simultaneously with movements of the arm so as to turn'the palm of the hand inward in the forward and upward move ment and the reverse in the backward and downward movement of the forearm.

The wristcompris'es a tubular portion 34 adapted to rotate inthe lowerfpo'rtionof the forearm, as shown more particularly in V 7 Figs. 3 and 4. Rotation of the wrist is brought about by the bevel pinions'3 5 and 36, the former being connected to the wrist portion 34 by a shaft 37 and yoke 37 while the pinion 36 is connected by links 42 and 43 to the upper arm. These pinions 35 and 36 are mounted on a bracket 38 secured to the inner wall of the forearm. The pinion 36 is mounted on a shaft 39, to which it is connected by a looking or motion-communicating screw 40 which enters an arcuate slot or recess 41 in the shaft 39, which arrangement allows a certain amount of play between the pinion and the shaft. The purpose of this provision of lost motion is to restrict the movement of the wrist to that which is provided by the latter part of the upward movement of the forearm. If desired, however, the pinion 36 may be locked to the shaft 39 by bringing the end of the set-screw into engagement with the bottom of the recess 41. The link 42 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 39 and is connected pivotally at 44 to the link 43, which link 43 is pivotally attached to the upper arm 10 at 28. As the pin 28 is arranged in front of the pivot bolt 22, about which the forearm turns, upward movements of the forearm give the links 42 and 43 a toggle movement at the joint 44 causing the link 42 to move in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 and turning the shaft 39.

For retaining the wrist in place in 1ts socket, screws or pins 44, which extend through slots 45 in the lower part of the forearm, are provided, one of the slots being shown in Fig. 1.

The hand is pivotally connected to the wrist by a pin 46 whereby the hand has some hinge-like movement at this joint.

Each finger 15 comprises three segments or phalanges 47, 48 and 49 pivotally connected together and to the hand 13. Similarly the thumb consists of a segment 50 pivoted to the hand and an end portion 51 pivoted to the segment 50. Screws 52 are used to unite the various contiguous phalanges of thumb and fingers respectively to each other.

Provision is made for simultaneously moving the fingers and thumb and also for moving the thumb and forefinger simultaneously independently of the movement of the other fingers to grip objects therebetween.

The fingers are moved by means of pivotally hinged or jointed rods 53 in series secured by pins 94 to the tips, or outermost phalanges of the fingers and passing along freely and slidingly within the fingers adjacent to their inner surfaces respectivel as shown more particularly in Fig. 7. ince these links 53 pass on the inner side of the segments and their pivotal points of connection 52 a pull on the links causes the fingers to contract, and, conversely a push on the rods causes the fingers to open. Backward movement of the fingers is limited by means of shoulders 54 which engage projecting portions 55 on the adjacent segment. A wrapping of rawhide is finally placed around the fingers and thumb respectively, as may be considered illustrated in Fig. 1, to give them finish and to strengthen the wood of the phalanges to resist the strains of the rods 53 and 70.

At their inner ends the links 53 which operate the fingers are pivotally connected to a cross-bar 56 by means of screws 57 or the like. This bar 56 is bodily movable toward and from the fingers and is in the natureof a whiffietree equalizer and enables the fingers to adjust themselves to the shape of the article gripped. For instance, if the article is thickest adjacent to the forefinger the forefinger will close sufficiently to grasp it while the little finger will also close upon the object by moving to a greater extent. The other fingers will assume intermediate positions between the two extremes.

This equalizer is preferably made of U- shapedcross-section so as to inclosethe ends of the rods 53. Adjacent to its center it is cut away to receive the end of a pull rod 58 pivotally connected to it by a screw 59. A pull upon this rod 58 closes the fingers. The equalizer tilts on the rod 58 according to the shape of the object grasped while the rod 58 maintains it always in operative position.

The pull rod 58 slides in guides 60 attached to a plate 61 secured at. 62 (Fig. 7) to the inner palm portion of the hand. Three springs 63 are connected at one end respectively to a bracket 64 carried by the rod 58 and at the other end to the body of the hand 13 in spaced apart relation. The rod 56 is normally held by these springs in the position shown in Fig. 6, in which position the fingers are held extended. The pull movement of the rod closes the fingers againstthe tension of these springs.

I have found it desirable at times to be able releasably to hold the fingers in a given retracted position, and have provided a lockingdevice which will so hold the fingers at will. This device comprises a pawl 65 pivotally mounted on the rod 58 at 66, and a series of rearwardly extending projections 67 formed on a bracket 68 attached to the plate 61. A flat spring 69 mounted on the forward end of the plate 61 bears against the projections 67 and insures the engage ment of the pawl 65 with the projections 67 as the free end of the pawl passes between the spring 69 and the projections 67. Thus the locking engagement is bound to take place when the rod 58 is released and the head of the pawl is close to the holding side of one of the projections 67. Disengagement is brought about by pulling on the rod 58, whereupon the spring 69 causes the head openings 67 or around the end at 67 (according to the projection engaged) and on releasing the rod 58 from pulling strain the pawl head rides back into its original position as shown in Fig. 7 over the back of the part carrying the projections 67. A light spring 95 holds the pawl against displacement. 7 a

The jointed rod 70 which operates the thumb is not connected to the equalizer 56 which operates the fingers, but its inner end is connected to the bar 58 by a cord 71, a link 72, and a bracket 7 3. A cord 74 which pulls in opposition to a spring 75 is provided for closing the thumb. To this cord 74: is attached a second cord 76 connected to the equalizer bar 56 adjacent to the point of connection of the latter to the series of links I for'operating the forefinger. With this arrangement a pull on the cord .74 produces not only a retraction of the thumb but also of the forefinger as well, enabling articles to be gripped between the thumb and forefinger. This action of the thumb and forefinger is .independent .of any substantial movement of the other fingers.

The cords and 74% pass through the forearm over pulleys at90 into tubes 77 and 78 in the upper arm. The cord 65 passes over the wearers back and is connected to a shoulder pad 79 in the form of a' loop adapted to encircle the shoulder and bear against the front thereof, while the cord 74 passes over the wearers chest and is attached to a similar shoulder pad 80 adapted to bear against the rear part of the same shoulder. When a pull is exerted upon the cord 65 the fingers are partially closedbefore the thumb is moved in a closing direction. This action is derived throughthe cord 71 and link 72, Fig. 6, the latter engagingthe stop 80 on the plate 7 3 and communicating a pull upon the cord 71 and consequently to the link end 70 controlling the thumb movement. Thus the thumb closes in upon the fingers or object held thereby in a very natural way.

From this description it will be evident that forward movement of the opposite shoulder, or the one not carrying the artificial member, will produce a pull on the cord 65, and that similarly a backward movement of the shoulder willdraw up on the cord 74:. Consequently if the opposite shoulder bemoved forward the fingers will be closed and the thumb will also; be moved inward, while if the opposite shoulder be moved backward the thumb and forefinger only will be closed. It should be notedthat the opposite shoulder is free to move in a circular direction and that substantially all uses may-be made of the opposite arm without any, pulling effect upon the cords which will operate the artificial fingers. A feature of 'mpro-vement is in the spe cific form of joint between the p'halanges.

In Fig. 7the construction is shown in side view, and in the second finger of Fig. 6 it is shown in top view. It includesa projecting member 85,, ordinarily about an eighth of. an inch wide, adapted to interfit with a recess in the adjoining phalange or section. narily the finger sections are made of. wood or similar light-weight and fibrous material which would not successfully take many of the strains which the fingers are called upon to bear, especially as to the relatively narrow projecting tongue-like part if also made of wood. The projecting. part 'is therefore made of metal. It is substantially circular in side view and is provided with an integral stud 86 and ametallie leaf 87, the latter being secured as by welding. to the part 85, the leaf 87 terminating in the projection 55 acting as a' stop for the adjoining phalange, as hereinabove 'rmentioned. A screw 88 passes through the leaf 87 and through a hole in the stud 86, and another screw 89 further secures the leaf 87 to the wood section. Thus the projecting tongue 85 is quite rigidly secured to the phalange and is capable of withstanding severe strains. The adjoinmg pha'langeinterfits, asillustrated, and the screw 52, which is preferably threaded only in the center so as to thread into the part 85, holds the two adjoining sections together with a hinge joint of satisfactory strength and operation. 7

It is pointed out that quite heavy loads may conveniently be carried by the artificial arm inasmuch as the weight is carried directly by the shoulder pad.16, and, through the locking of the fingers in more or less closed relation as desired an article, such as a suit case, for instance, may begrasped by the artificial arm and conveniently carried without further effort than to secure the desired locked finger condition, which is accomplished through a simple movement-of the opposite shoulde The cords 65 and 74 are preferably'in the form of flexible steel cables. They are rendered adjustable as to their length in relation to the shoulder pads'79 and 80 by clasps at 92 and 93 respectively whereby the exact tension of these cords for operating the finger nay be obtained initially and from time to time as may be desired. These cords 'pro vide a direct pull upon the mechanism in the hand operating the fingers, a feature advantageous in action as well as in simplifying the construction. 5*

The illustrations show what I considerto be a preferred and highly advantageous fornr of the structure, but the invention is not limited strictly to the construction and Ordiarrangement of parts specifically shown, as modifications of various of these parts may be made without departing from the principle of operation or the spirit of the invention disclosed.

I claim:

1. In combination, an artificial hand body, a plurality of fingers comprising hingedly jointed sections extending from said body, a push and pull rod comprising links hinged together secured to the outermost joint section of each finger, and extending freely slidingly on the inner side of the joint connections of each thereof, a whifiietree-like equalizer within said body and connected to each of said series of links at spaced apart portions of the equalizer,said equalizer extending transversely of the ends of said rods and being mounted to move bodily toward and away from the fingers, and means for moving said equalizer in a direction away from the fingers to contract the fingers.

2. In an artificial hand, the combination of a hand body and a series of jointed fingers extending therefrom, a jointed push and pull member slidingly mounted to move freely in each finger on the inner side of the finger joints, a transversely arranged equalizer in the hand body mounted to move bodily throughout allportions thereof toward and away. from said fingers, each of said push and pull members being secured in spaced apart relation to said. equalizer, and a device connected to said equalizereffectively midway of its ends for pulling uponsaid equalizer to move all portions of the same substantially equally. I

3. In an artificial hand having jointed fingers and pull members in each for flexing the fingers, the combination therewith of an equalizer mounted whereby all portions thereof may move substantially equally toward and away from the fingers, a connection between said pull members respectively and said equalizer at spaced apart portions of the equalizer, said equalizer extending transversely of the inner ends of the fingers, and a bar extending substantially at right angles to said equalizer and pivotally connected substantially midway of theends of said equalizer for pulling upon the same, said bar beingslidably mounted, said equalizer being mounted to tilt on said bar whereby said fingers may close in upon a tapering object with the fingers on one side of the hand closing in farther than those on the other side of the hand.

4.-.- Ali-artificial limb comprising an upper arm, a forearm jointed thereto, and a hand, an anchoring member adapted to be secured to the body of the wearer adjacent to the shoulder, a link capable of-transmitting pushand'pull strains pivotally connecting said forearm and said anchoring member, the point of connection of said link with :theforearm being ofiset with respect to the pivotal connection between the upper arm and the forearm whereby moving the upper arm also movesthe forearm upon'its equalizer being mounted for free bodily movement toward and away from said fin- .gers, and a pulling bar slidably mounted in the'hand body and pivotally connectedto the equalizer substantially medially of the endsthereof for moving both ends of the same with a substantially equal movement, said equalizer being also-mounted to tilt on said pivotal connection whereby one end thereof may move farther than the other end thereof, the arrangement being such that the closing of the fingers on one side of the hand will beincreased and on the other side decreased according to the shape of the object being grasped.

6. An articulated artificial arm having means for securing same to one shoulder, said arm carrying a hand having thereon articulated fingers-and athumb, pull members in the fingers and thumb ,respectively forfiexing thesame, a draft device within the hand body, said pull members being con nected efiectively'to said draft device, two

tension members extending-from said hand to the opposite shoulder, each tension mem her having a loop portion for engaging the 1 shoulder, one of said tension members being connected to saididraft device for closing the fingers and thumb simultaneously by one movement of said shoulder, and an auxiliary draft device in the handbody, the pull mem bers of the thumb and forefinger being connected efiectively to said auxiliary draft device, the other of said .tensioning-devices being connected to said auxiliary draft device for closing the forefinger and thumb independently of the movement of the other fingers by another movement of said shoulder. I 1

7. An artificial arm comprising an upper arm, means for supporting the same from one shoulder, a forearm mounted upon the upper arm, a hand body mounted on the forearm, said hand body having articulated fingers and a thumb thereon movable relatively thereto, pull members in each of the fingers and thumb, a'movably mounted draft device in the hand body, the pull members of the fingers being connected to said draft device, a tension member connected to said V gers for flexing the same, a draft device draft device, said tension member having a loop for surrounding the opposite shoul-' der' forcontracting the fingers simultaneously by one movement from such opposite shoulder, a second tension member also hav ing a loop for surrounding the opposlte shoulder, said second tension member bemg connected to thepull member of the thumb and also connected effectively to. the pull member of the forefinger for contracting the thumb andv forefinger simultaneously by another and different movement of suc opposite shoulder.

8. In an artificial hand the combination of a hand'body having flexible fingers and a flexible thumb extending therefrom, pull rods-in the fingers and in the thumb for.

flexing the same, a pair of tension members extending from the artificial hand to the opposite shoulder and each thereterminating in a shoulder loop, one of said tenslon members being connected effectively to the pull rods of the fingers, the other tension member being connected effectively to the pull rod of thethumb,-and a connection effeotively between the pull rods of the fin pivotally' mounted on saidpad, an upper arm gers as one unit and the pull rod of the thumb as another unit. 7 V 7 9. In artificial arm structure, the combi nationof a shoulder pad, means for holding same upon the wearers shoulder, a bracket pivotally mounted on said bracket, a lower arm jointed to said upper arm, and a substantially rigid bar-like connectlon pivoted r to said bracket at a place offset from the pivotal mounting of said upper arm to said bracket, said connectionbeing also pivoted to said lower arm at a place offset fromits upper arm joint.

q 10. An artificial arm comprising an upper arm, a forearm on said upper arm, a hand portion on'said forearm,'articulated fingers on said hand portion and mounted to move relatively thereto, pull members'in said finmovably mounted'in said hand'and to which thepull-members are attached, a pawl'associated with said draft device'for holding the same in a retracted position, means extending from said unitary device and adapted to be connected to the shoulder opposite the one having the artificial arm for pulling upon said'draft devi'ce.- 11. In an artificial hand having flexible fingers,- means for fiexing'the fingers comprising incombination push and pull rods in the fingers, a cross bar at the ends of said rods and connected to the same, a slidably mounted member in the hand'body, a connectio rbetween said slidably mounted" member and said'ba'r, aplurality of springs-connected to a relatively fixedpart and to said slid= able member for drawing the' same: towardotally mounted thereon, said pawl having a,

head thereon extending to one side ofthe body'of the pawl, a holding member for the pawl head comprising a plurality of teeth inthe path of said laterally extending head, there being openings between the teeth through which said head maypass, and

spring means for forcing said pawl in the direction of said teeth; r j

1-3. In combination, an artificial hand body, flexible fingers and a flexible thumb mounted thereon, a pushand pull rod in each of said flexible fingers" and thumb for flexing the same, a cord connected'to the push and pull rod of the thumb and a cord connected to the push and pull rod of the forefinger, said two cords being secured together, tensioning means extending from said two cords and terminating in a loop for the opposite shoulder, a movable member in the hand body connected to the push and pull rods in the fingers, and a tensioning member extending from said movable member and also terminating in a loop for said opposite shoulone thereof being adaptedtoextend across the back of the wearer and being operatively connected tothe pullmembers in at least one of the articulated members, the other being adapted 'to extend across the front of the wearer and being connected to the pull meme bers'in at least one other of the articulated members, when the device is normally in use, each of said tension members having a loop for surrounding the shoulder opposite the onecarrying said artificial arm.

15. In an artificial arm, the combination of ashoulder pad 1 member for the stump arm, means forholding same upon the shoulder, an upper arm member pivotallymounted on said pad member, a lower arm member pivotally mounted on said upperarm member to form an elbow joint, and a rigid bar pivotally mountedon the pad member and also on the forearm member, the pivotal connections at each end of the bar-being'offset from the'pivotal connections of the upper armto the pad-mem'ber and that of the lower armto the upper arm member respectively,-

through said bar and when the arm is raised said bar sustains the lower arm in raised position.

16. In an artificial arm, the combination of a shoulder pad member for the stump arm, means for holding same upon the shoulder, a bracket normally transverse of the shoulder and mounted to rock on the pad member, and an upper arm pivotally mounted on said bracket.

17 In an artificial arm, the combination of a shoulder pad member for the stump arm, means for holding same upon the shoulder, a bracket normally transverse of the shoulder and mounted to rock on the pad member, a forearm pivoted upon the upper arm, and a rigid bar pivoted on said bracket at a point spaced from the upper arm pivot thereon, said bar being pivoted also on the lower arm at a point spaced from its pivoted connection to the upper arm.

18. In an artificial arm having an upper and a lower arm member pivoted together and having a hand member mounted to rock thereon on the axis of the lower arm, means for rocking said hand member when the upper arm member is moved, said rocking means comprising in combination a gear mounted in the lower arm member, a toggle lever having one end pivoted to the upper arm member at a point oifset from the pivotal connection between the upper and lower arm members, the other end of the toggle lever being operatively connected to said gear, a second gear meshing with the first mentioned gear, and a connection between said second gear and said hand member for rocking the hand member when said second gear is rocked.

19. In an artificial'hand having a hand body the combination of a transversely arranged bar in the hand body, flexible fingers extending from the hand body and having pull members therein, said pull members being connected to said transverse bar, a flexible thumb also extending from said hand body, a pull member in the thumb for flexing the same, means/under the control of the wearer for pulling upon said transverse bar substantially midway of the ends thereof to flex all the fingers simultaneously, and other means under the control of the wearer and connected to said transverse bar adjacent to the thumb and also connected to said pull member in the thumb for retracting the forefinger and thumb substantially independently of any movement of the other fingers.

20. In an artificial arm device, the combination of an arm member and a hand member mounted to rock thereon, means including a'pair of intermeshing gears for rocking the hand member, rocking means for one of said gears, one of said gears being lower arm' hinged to said upper-arm, and a substantially rigid connection pivotally mounted at one end on said support at a place offset. from the pivotal connectlon of the upper arm to the support, and pivotally mounted at its other end to said lower arm at a place offset from its'hinge connection to the upper arm.

22. In an artificial arm, the combination of a shoulder pad member for the stump arm, adjustable strap-like means adapted to pass across the wearers arm pit there for holding said pad upon the shoulder, adj ustable strap-like means extending from the pad member and adapted to pass around the wearers body under the opposite arm pit also for holding the pad member upon the shoulder, and an arm member mounted upon said pad member with a universal hinge joint.

23. An articulated arm comprising an upper arm and a forearm pivotally connected thereto, an anchoring member adapted to be secured to the adjacent shoulder of the same independently of substantial movement of the other fingers, and tensioning means extending from said means in the forefinger and thumb to the opposite shoulder for flexing the thumb and forefinger simultaneously by a movement of the opposite shoulder.

25. The combination of a hand body, a guiding structure rigidly secured thereto, a bar slidably mounted to move vertically in said guiding structure when the hand is pointed downward, a plurality of fingers on the body, push and pull rods operatively in the fingers, a cross member carried by said bar, said push and pull rods being secured to said cross member, spring means for drawing said sliding bar and cross member toward the fingers, a jointed thumb on the hand body, means in the thumb for flexing the same, and a connection between said sliding member and said thumb-flexing of fingers flexibly mounted on the hand means for communicating movementthereto. body, a p'ushrand-pull rod in each finger for 26. In combination, an artificial hand flexing the same, said push-and-pull rods body, a bracket secured on the inside thereof being connected to said transverse member,

5 and extending longitudinally thereof, said spring means for drawing said slidably 15 bracket having guides for a pusl1-and-pull mounted push-and-pull member toward the member, a push-and-pull member slidably fingers, and means under the control of the mounted in-said guides, a transverse mem- Wearer for pulling upon said slidably' ber pivotally mounted on said slidably mounted push-and-pull member.

10 mounted push-and-pull member, a plurality J OSEPH R. B. NORFOLK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fiveteents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

